BBC Four will tonight air a documentary charting the history of modern landfill sites.

In the 90-minute documentary, The Secret Life of Landfill: A Rubbish History, viewers will get the chance to see a modern-day landfill site and learn how the nature of our waste is changing and the challenges this poses.

Viridor’s landfill site in Dunbar, East Lothian will feature on the programme after presenters George McGavin and Zoe Laughlin visited the site for three days of filming in May.

Michelle Moran, Viridor landfill gas resource manager, North and Scotland, said: “Most people aren’t aware of the level of science and highly engineered containment that goes into designing and operating a modern-day landfill site for a major European capital and it was great to be involved in a documentary that helps improve public awareness.

“I love working in such a dynamic industry and viewers will get to see first-hand some of the huge range of challenges myself and my colleagues deal with on a day-to-day basis.”

The programme will be broadcast on BBC 4 on Thursday, 23 August at 9pm.